You Didn't Tell Her
by x-Kim0x
Summary: Rose returns to the TARDIS, and Donna recognises her as the woman whom she'd told to tell her mother which bin it was that her car keys were in.


**A/N: I came up with this idea after Donna didn't recognise Rose as the woman she'd told to tell her mum where the car keys were, Rose vanishing at the end of 'Partners in Crime,' and Sylvia referring to the car key incident as some sort of game in the Sontaran episodes, with no indication that she'd had any help in locating them. **

**Turn Left never happened, and Rose managed to call Martha's phone and the Doctor and Donna took the TARDIS to collect her as they did with Martha at the beginning of 'The Sontaran Stratagem.' **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Please leave a review. **

The Doctor was truly mesmerised by her sudden, unexpected and yet incredibly uplifting appearance. The previous two years had proved lengthier by far than the nine hundred and two that came before them, and incredibly heart breaking and stressful also.

"Donna, this is Rose Tyler," he stated blissfully, grinning from ear to ear as he marvelled in having his precious companion standing before him once again. "Rose, Donna Noble."

Rose simply smiled sheepishly, awaiting information sourcing from her best friend; whom she loved very dearly; as to the identity of the ginger haired woman ahead of the pair.

While Rose appeared to be satisfied, pleased with and to an extent ecstatic at the turn of events, Donna's expression fell, before a look of pure shock graced her features; dominating them and failing to falter.

"Why didn't you tell my mum where her car keys were?!"

Looking perplexed, the Doctor grasped Rose's hand gently, stroking it comfortingly; forming a reassuring pattern of eights, as if folding flour gradually into a cake mixture.

"What?!"

It was Rose who spoke up first, rather vocally to say the least. The Doctor took assurance from this expression that Rose had fallen unsuspecting victim to yet more of Jackie's undesirable traits while regrettably, tragically and suddenly trapped within a parallel universe.

Donna seemed inconvenienced, burdened by the apparent necessity of explaining their past encounter to the Doctor, who clung to the young blonde like a life line. "I put my mum's car keys in the bin," "then I told you what she looked like and to tell her where I'd put them," she finished, turning to scowl at Rose, the atmosphere swirling around the two intensifying a hundred fold, almost as if it possessed the potential to suffocate human life.

The Doctor gave Rose's shoulder a brief squeeze, before following up his preceding action by enquiring gently, "Rose, is this true?" A blank expression had been painted across the Doctor's features.

"What… no. You said to tell her 'that bin there,' you didn't mention anything about any car keys!" She reminded Donna defensively.

"You still didn't tell her!"

It was the Doctor's time to intercept again. This time, however, he threaded an arm around Rose's shoulders, rocking her backwards and forwards comfortingly, not dissimilar to the treatment issued to a small child. He gave Donna a simple smile seconds later. "Now girls, this isn't the time to fight," he told them responsibly.

Donna gasped. "The headache my mum gave me over those bloody keys!"

"Don't blame me; who the hell launches a set of car keys into a dustbin anyway?"

The Doctor spoke up gently at this. "She's got a point, Donna," he told her carefully, selecting his combination of words with extreme care and caution. As he'd realised upon first encountering her, annoying or otherwise intimidating Donna Noble led to one thing, and it wasn't a pretty sight. A sight for sore eyes? A very sore cheek.

Donna threw the Doctor a deep and scornful glance for the first time since Rose had entered the TARDIS several minutes beforehand. "You what?! That was the night I met up with you again!" she protested loudly, her tones only increasing in volume as she continued to speak.

"Oh gr-"

"Donna, you do realise that noise limitations do exist in Britain?" Smirked the suddenly overly confident time lord. Confidence literally oozed from his being.

"Zip it, spaceman!"

Rose huffed, almost completely adopting the standard characteristics of a greedy child. "As I was about to say, before I was so rudely interrupted," she started, exaggerating by way of seeking, capturing and maintaining the attention of those around her. "That's just great; you were streets away, I could have been back here long before now!" came her desperate shriek, as pools of tears began to fall from her already less than gleaming chocolate brown eyes, cascading down her reddened cheeks. The Doctor pulled her into his shoulder reassuringly, cradling her gently.

"None of it matters any more, you're here now," he supplied, tightening his hold on her in happiness.

All Donna Noble could do was to stand back and take in the incredibly emotional scene which presented itself, unfolding before her very eyes.


End file.
